Lamb skewers with chilli and cumin (Shou zhua yang rou chuan)

AT A GLANCE

Serves 6 people

30 min preparation

10 min cooking (plus marinating)

Dainty Sichuan calls this dish "spicy lamb kebabs" on its menu.
Tina Li says they roast and grind the cumin and Sichuan pepper for
their distinctive scent and taste. She adds a small quantity of
water to the marinade and binds it with potato flour - this helps
the lamb stay juicy. Begin this recipe a day ahead to marinate the
lamb, although at a pinch 20 minutes will do the trick.

Heat oil to 180C in a large wok over medium-high heat, add lamb in 2 batches and deep-fry, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked to your liking (3-5 minutes; be careful, hot oil will spit). Drain on absorbent paper and set aside. Ladle off most of the oil (transfer to a heatproof container, cool and discard), leaving 2 tbsp in wok, add capsicum, onion, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (1 minute). Add chilli oil and spices, season to taste with salt, stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds), add lamb skewers, turn to coat and serve hot.

Note Potato flour is available from select
health food shops and supermarkets, and Asian grocers. Along with
the requisite Sichuan pepper, Dainty Sichuan uses Maggi Seasoning
(as soy sauce), Knorr chilli liquid seasoning, and shisanxiang, or
13-fragrance spice powder. The latter is used in Chinese-Islamic
cooking, especially for marinating kebabs. They're all available
from Chinese grocers.